The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a high likelihood that Virginia will have a third consecutive La Niña winter.
What does that mean to Virginians? Usually less snow and higher temperatures. It also generally means a drier than average winter.
According to NOAA, there is a 91 percent chance of La Niña through September–November and an 80 percent chance that will continue through January 2023.
“In a nutshell, La Niña and El Niño affect global atmospheric circulation patterns in (somewhat) predictable patterns, altering jet streams and storm tracks around the world and influencing temperature, rain/snow, and tropical cyclone seasons,” said Emily Becker in a NOAA climate.gov blog post. “Since we can predict ENSO months in advance, we can get an early picture of potential upcoming climate patterns. Of course, nothing is guaranteed with weather and climate.”
This will be only the third La Niña three-peat on record.
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Crystal Graham
